Representations of Iranian diplomats and the E3 group – Germany, France and Britain – are expected to resume talks in Istanbul today, according to Iranian sources.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 08:30 (Greek time) at the Iranian consulate and will be held at the level of deputy foreign ministers.

It comes in the context of the first negotiations on the nuclear program of the Islamic Republic after the Israel-Iran war. Berlin, Paris and London mean to step up pressure on Tehran.

“The clock is ticking,” commented a diplomatic source, warning again that if no progress is made, the E3 will move to activate the mechanism (the snapback clause) to bring UN sanctions against the Iranian economy back into force.

Typically, the agreement concluded in Vienna in 2015 on Iran’s nuclear programme – formally the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – expires in mid-October.

The Europeans’ main demands include allowing UN inspectors to regain access to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities and clarity on the fate of some 400 kilograms of 60 percent-enriched uranium, which is unclear what happened to it after US aerial bombings of three key Iranian facilities in June.

Tehran decided after the war unleashed by Israeli forces to end inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which it accused of “malicious intentions.”